A MAN OF INTEGRITY: A REVIEW OF TURMOIL AND TRIUMPH: THE GEORGE SHULTZ YEARS

By Cleo E. Brown

Turmoil and Triumph: The George Shultz Years is an informative and an insightful look into The Presidential Administration of Ronald Reagan. This PBS Series particularly examines the years during which George Shultz replaced Alexander Hague as President Reagan’s Secretary of State. Depending upon both still photography, primarily to piece together a biography of George Shultz early life, and also live footage to highlight George Shultz role in creating Reagan’s exemplary foreign policy, Turmoil and Triumph paints a portrait of George Shultz as an intellectually sound man with a PhD in Economics from MIT who was also an extremely well-qualified Humanitarian who paved the way not only for the integration of African-Americans in the United States into the business sector, but who also paved the way for an end to Apartheid in South Africa as well as paved the way for an end to the despotic rule of The Marcos in The Philippines.

Through life-like reenactments throughout this series, George Shultz role in engineering “Détente” (peaceful coexistence between the U.S.A. and The Soviet Union) is also examined. Comprised of three sixty minute segments, each part in the series of three is as equally compelling as the others.

Part I, entitled A Call to Service, renders a biography of George Shultz and recounts the circumstances under which George Shultz became the sixty-first Secretary of State of the United States. Part II, entitled To Start The World Again, addresses the utter chaos which consumed the world at the beginning of Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Administration, and George Shultz role, through his humane approach, in creating a work of art out of this mess.

Finally, in Part III, entitled Swords into Plowshares, George Shultz position on The Iran-Contra Affair and its affect on The Reagan Administration’s ability to conduct business, particularly in the foreign arena, is addressed. In Part III, the events of George Shultz’ life after his participation in The Reagan Administration is also examined. Containing interviews with Senator Edward Kennedy, Condoleezza Rice, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powel, Senator Richard Lugar, Mikhail Gorbachev, Gary Becker, other notable Historians and Journalists, and George Shultz himself throughout the series, these people offer an invaluable insider’s look into the internal workings of The State Department during The Reagan Years.

Produced, Written, Directed, and Narrated by David Devries and Edited by Bob Ives Turmoil and Triumph: The George Shultz Years, which is scheduled to air on Monday July 12th, 19th, and 26th 2010 at 10 O’clock PM on PBS channels, is a Gem. The only criticism I have of Turmoil and Triumph is its unwillingness to mention the word Watergate preferring to refer only to the apartment house as infamous. George Shultz held two cabinet positions under Richard Nixon’s Presidential Administration resigning voluntarily and early during this troubled period of time in the Nation’s History.

On a scale of from one to twelve roses, I give this upcoming PBS Series an extra rose for a score of thirteen.

*Distributed by Free to Choose Media, copies of Turmoil and Triumph: The George Shultz Years can be ordered and purchased on DVD by calling 1-866-387-8583.

http://www.freetochoosemedia.org/production/turmoil_triumph/index.php

About The Author: Cleo E. Brown has a Master’s Degree in Contemporary African-American History from The University of California at Davis in Davis, California. She also has a B.A. Minor Degree in Political-Science and has completed course work towards a Ph.D. in Education from The University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California. She is a Free Lance Writer and a Senior Editor at HHR 

Coming to PBS
Monday, July 12 at 10 pm
Monday, July 19 at 10 pm
Monday, July 26 at 10 pm
(check local listings)